The Ruined Conflict
by AgainstEternity
Summary: Tau and Imperial commanders, and their armies, find themselves against an epic struggle that will not only test their resolve, but their willingness to trust in others.
1. The Greater Good

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Warhammer 40K as they are owned by Games Worshop Inc. I'm not making any profits from this story.

Note: I don't play any of the tabletop Warhammer 40k games, and I don't have any of the codex books. I play a lot of the Warhammer 40K PC games, have every expansion and know something about the characters, races and history. The few things that come from the codex books that I add here are from digging around internet sites. So, please, hardcore tabletop Warhammer 40K fans, take it easy on the flaming. And anything that could help me learn more about the Warhammer 40K Universe would be greatly appreciated as I seriously want to learn more about it. Many thanks and enjoy!

Shas'O Kanis looked over at the bombarded city below from the precarious safety of his massive XV22 battlesuit. He sighed in sheer disappointment as the dark forces of Chaos overran the massacred Imperial city; this was not part of the Greater Good. The cries of horror and pain from the humans below chillingly mixed in with the furious war cries of the victory from the Chaos forces, Shas'O Kanis needed only one last look at his demonic adversaries before turning back around, leaving the bloodletting behind.

"Report" he said in his usual calm demeanor, his words always seeming to be friendly, yet obviously strict with his men. The half dozen Tau soldiers in their bulky stealth suits slowly melded back into reality around Shas'O Kanis, each one taking a moment to bow to their commanding officer.

"The armies of Chaos have taken three more towns around the river, commander" the Shas'vre answered only as the rest of the men still stood at attention around Shas'O. "If they continue their advance they shall find their way into the Imperial capital in three days time, commander" the Shas'vre's detailed report slipped into Shas' O's ears in the usual radio tone; his mind began to formulate various strategies mere seconds after his soldier uttered his last word.

"The Revenant?" Shas' O asked, turning his helmeted gaze to the Shas'vre.

"It is still orbiting the planet; the Chaos fleet still knows nothing of its position, commander. As they know nothing of OUR position on the ground, either"

The Revenant was the main ship of Shas' O Kanis sept, the Tau'Un O'Urem, a massive Manta Missile Destroyer that had been modified to be able to support troop transport. Yet, Shas'O knew all too well that their current condition would not last long, the forces of Chaos were not stupid. The risk of loss to both his Fire Caste and his Air Caste is too great to risk in order to defend an Imperial City; the attack on the Chaos would have to wait until after they have taken the capital of the planet Gurman V.

"Order the Revenant to maintain position, advise the Earth Caste that our main base of operations must be finished by nightfall and I need a report on the Run'al stationed around the capital" Shas' O gave his orders slowly and clearly, the men around him need only nod and quickly salute him before running off to their tasks. The Run'al observation posts were carefully hidden around the planet's capital, Shas' O wanted to see the Chaos' strategies for himself and learn greatly from them.

"I know you are there, daemon, your hate and destruction plow through the world like a rabid infestation" Shas'O whispered into his mind, again leering over at the pillaged town, watching the dark forces kill and maim everything in sight. "I will strike you down for the Greater Good, Malent Terenis" the commander of the Tau'Un O'Urem breathed in deeply and took heavy steps in his grey battle suit, back towards his main base.

Deep inside of the many canyons that littered the landscape of Gurman V, the resident Tau forces had staked their claim. Already having built enough barracks and armories to house the entire Fire Caste of Shas'O Kanis' forces, they waited until their commander gave the order; but first, their commander needed to solidify a plan.

"Greetings, Shas'O Kanis" the holy Ethereal spoke as if his words were hailed by angels, a gentle smiled pasted on his grayish face and a amiable set of eyes welcome the commander to his war room.

"Greetings, Anu'Arn" Shas' O looked stronger and sported more toned limbs than most other Tau did without their battle armors on, but that only worked to heighten his nearly legendary status. "To what do I own this great honor?" Shas' O asked politely as he bowed to the Ethereal before him, the silky clothes on his body hanging loose with his every move.

"I bring news from home, Commander" the Ethereal touched the back of Shas' O head ever so gently, hinting for him to return to his normal position and look at him dead in the eyes.

"That is something I could have received through a message, it was not necessary for you to risk coming to this warzone" Shas' O spoke in pure worriment for the Ethereal entity, his eyes expressed clear pain as his mind explicitly imagined what the death of the Ethereal would mean to him and his people.

"No, no, no, my friend, please, do not worry. I do not intend on making this planet my home any further than I have to. But, this is news that is most dire and that I believed should be delivered, personally. As an act of friendship, for an old friend" Anu' Arn smiled gently at Shas' O as if to ask him whether he would let him give his message or not; Shas' O nodded softly. "We have received word that Shas' O Kais has been successful in liberating the planet Kronus from the invasion it was suffering, but there has been a problem" the Ethereal showed signs of weakness and worry for a slight moment, before finding his composure; yet he help his talisman laden staff tightly with both hands as he remained standing up. "We know Malent Terenis, the commander of the Smiling Horus Army, is here in this planet, a fact you must surely know as well" Shas' O again nodded softly, this time taking his gaze away from the Ethereal for a few seconds, losing himself in thought.

"Yes, I am aware of his presence and his objectives"

"Yet, that is not the reason I am here, my friend. Something survived Shas' O Kais' liberation of Kronus, something we did not know was still alive" the Ethereal spoke with an unnerving sense of worry and haste. "Necron Monoliths were spotted exiting the Kronus' surface shortly the defeat of their commander, their location was lost to us for some time, but we have found them again" Anu'Arn held his staff tightly and pounded it softly on the metallic floor, looking into Shas'O's eyes.

"Commander! Commander!" a garbled transmission screamed out from the screen beside them, Shas' O wasted no time in hurrying towards it and pressing it to receive the transmission.

"What is the problem Shas'la?"

"Commander, a Necron Monolith has landed right in middle of the capital's plaza. The Chaos forces have already mobilized to intercept it and we cannot keep our position hidden for much longer if we stay in this location! Please advise!" the sounds of buildings crushing down around the lives of millions of people could be faintly heard in the transmission's background.

"Retreat back to base immediately, do not let any of the two enemy forces see your position. Relay this order to the other Fire Warriors in the rest of the Run'als" Shas' O quickly pressed the screen more times, random beeps sounding off every time his long finger hit it. "Every Stealth Team in the area of the capital, you are now ordered to return to base for further orders. Defensive Broadsides around the base's perimeter are now on the highest alert; deploy Gun and Shield Drones to reinforce their position as soon as possible. Do not engage the enemy forces until ordered to" Shas' O pressed the screen one last time, cutting off his transmission to his army. He turned around to face the Ethereal, who himself held a worried look upon his face as if to better announce the grim turn of events. "I cannot hold back both the Necron and Chaos forces from overrunning us if they were to find us" Shas'O stated the obvious to his Ethereal superior, something he did out of instinct, an instinct he always tried to maintain suppressed in the presence of an Ethereal.

"Reinforcements have already been called, you must hold out until they arrive. I shall remain here with you and your men until they do, their arrival on the planet so quickly has left me no choice but to lengthen my stay" Anu'Arn seemed to find a second wind with bravery and he stood up straight now, holding his staff strongly with one hand.

"Thank you" Shas' O bowed again, this time reacting out of respect and years of teaching. "My men and I greatly appreciate it"

"We must all brace for the worst now, Shas'O" the Ethereal did not know how true his words were.

To Be Continued…


	2. Darkness Advances

The pack of Kroot carnivores hustled quickly through the barren lands of the planet Gurman V, they had passed the capital mere minutes ago, so Shas'O Kanis' Cadre Headquarters could not be far off. The three Tau Fire Warriors huffed and puffed as they hurried to catch up with them, their rifles becoming very heavy in their weakened arms.

"Shaper! We must rest!" yelled out the Fire Warrior that was in front of the three man line. The Kroot Shaper looked back towards his Tau allies and ran on all fours towards them.

"Remain here" the Shaper said in his guttural voice as he lifted his hand up and put it on the Fire Warriors armored chest, beckoning him to stay and rest. "We shall find the Headquarters and bring back aid" the smile the Fire Warrior let slip was hidden under his helmet, but his thankful nod did not go unnoticed. The weary Fire Warrior put a hand on the Shaper's thin and bony shoulder and said his thanks.

"We will try to fix the transmitter, but try and hurry" the Fire Warrior let go of the Shaper's shoulder and watched him run into the distance with his pack. But, the stranded Tau Fire Warriors did not have more than five minutes of rest before they heard it, their heavy feet and grinding armor.

"There they are!" the bellowing voice of one of the dozen Chaos soldiers sounded as if he was spewing blood with every word. "Get them! For Horus!"

The Fire Warriors didn't have the strength to flee from their pursuers and even if they chose to follow that route, it would all be in vain. They also knew that standing their ground would also bring about their deaths, but they would also take some of the barbaric demon worshippers with them. Without saying a single word, without taking a second to ponder what choice of action to take, they kneeled down on their weary knees and took aim.

"For the Greater Good, for Shas' O Kanis!" they yelled out as they let their pulse rifles fire accurately into the stampeding Chaos squad.

Each Fire Warrior managed to take out one Chaos Space Marines, but it did little to stem their manic charge. By the time each Fire Warrior shot again, the bullets flew en masse from the Chaos Marines' bolters and ripped into and through their armor. They each gasped their last stoic breaths before their bodies fell dead to the ground, rose red blood streaming from their bullet torn bodies and quickly forming red puddles at the Chaos Marines' feet.

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"Lord General Militant!" the blood soaked Imperial Guardsman yelled out in the midst of the chaotic firefight as he held the long range transmitter in his hand. "Lord General, the capital has fallen! Necron forces appeared out of nowhere and destroyed the capital, Governor-Militant Karne is dead!" the Guardsman yelled out from the cover as bullets whizzed and ricocheted all around him, yet Lord General Militant Xavier Janus stood his ground, popping off aimed shots from his hellpistol into the vast array of firing debris in the distance.

"Sir!" the transmitter-wielding Guardsman yelled again at his commander, holding his helmet close to his head with both hands as his brave comrades shoot their lasguns into the Chaos horde beyond.

"I heard you, soldier! Before I acknowledge your transmission, I need you to shoot!" the General Militant shot out into the Chaos forces a few more times before he aimed his gun at the Guardsman and look at him dead in the eyes with an almost holy seriousness. "Fire at your enemy, soldier or I shall shoot you down myself!" the Guardsman wasted no time in picking up his lasgun from the muddy ground and propping himself up to a knee to fire at the Chaos forces, whose bolter fire was now increasingly being joined by heavier artillery. "Good! Now, relay the news to the rest of the Imperial Guard stationed around the planet, I am now appointing myself Governor Militant of Gurman V, until this damned conflict is over" Xavier Janus said just before he fired a single shot that pierced through the neck of a being that was not a Chaos Marine, the new Governor Militant's eyes went wide as he saw to what being the stream of blood that flew in the air belonged to. "Flayed Ones! Push them back, men! Do not let them reach our barricade!"

The lasguns in front and around the Governor Militant seemed to fire with more hurry and perseverance, and the thunderous sound of the barrage of grenades exploding all over the Chaos' positions heightened the Xavier Janus' satisfaction with his soldiers. He looked with proud eyes as his men's bullets cut into the advancing Chaos Marines, spilling their unworthy blood on the ground, their groans and cries of pain were like music to his veteran ears.

"Obliterators!" the panicked yell came faintly from the left flank, where Janus ran towards as soon as he heard his scream, ignoring the bullets that whizzed inches from his body with every step he took. "Sir, Obliterators landed just behind that crumbled building!" the Guardsman pointed out with his finger while still firing at the Chaos forces with his other hand, his lasgun propped upon the rocky debris.

"Are you sure you saw them, soldier?" Xavier Janus asked quickly, his face not seeming fit for the situation at hand: stoic, calm and ready for anything.

"Yes, sir, I'd bet my life on it!" the Guardsman answered back with the security and sureness he expected from each of his soldiers, the feeling of pride swelled in him for a second before he went back to the matter at hand.

"You might be if you are right, soldier" Janus spoke softly into the Guardsman's ear, being loud enough so that he and he alone may hear it and not the rest of the men that were fighting with all they had to hold the city. "Radioman! Call the Basilisks and tell them to fire in front of our position!" Janus dove for cover when a bullet whizzed past his cheek and sliced it open, he landed between two of men and didn't even let a hiss escape his lips. "Radioman! Radioman!" he yelled out until a different radioman responded in the distance. "Call the Karskin squads and order them to begin flanking maneuvers! Coordinate their assault with the 5th Vehicular Brigade's rush attack and make them attack together! Report to me three minutes before they strike the Chaos forces!" Janus quickly stood up and began to fire countless shots into the incoming Chaos army; he feared that he was seeing more of them now than before.

"Sir! Necron forces are approaching from the south!" the first few minutes of the Governor Militant's career had been excruciatingly difficult, and they were only increasing in hardship. "That's not all, sir" the Guardsman swallowed deeply before continuing on. "We've spotted Tau and Kroot forces retreating from areas around the capital and going into the canyons. Some were being pursued by Chaos forces, sir!" the Guardsman shot out a few random shots at the Chaos position, awaiting his Governor Militant's orders.

"Order the south Guardsmen to retreat further into the city, do not engage the Necrons until absolutely necessary" he spoke as if in a daze, the name of the Tau seemed to ignite something inside Janus' mind, a long hidden secret, a distant history.

"What of the Tau, sir?"

"Deploy a few scouts to scour the position they retreated to, but they are not to be attacked unless I say so, understood?" the Guardsman nodded and ran down the war torn streets of the city, leaving Xavier Janus alone with his thoughts.

The Tau? Here? He could not comprehend why they would be in this planet, a planet of the Imperium. Yet, the forces of Chaos are invading, and the Tau are smart enough to wait until the Chaos take over until taking it from them and making it theirs. But, if they were to make a move on their own and attack, would they come for the Imperials first? Would they even attack the Imperials? Janus past experiences with the Tau have left them with a constant reminder that they can never be underestimated but, more importantly, that sometimes, the Tau and Imperials have the same enemies and the same objectives.

To Be Continued…


	3. The Swinging Tide

"Radioman! What is the location of the damned tank brigade?!" the 5th Vehicular Brigade was late, the three Leeman Rus tanks and the Baneblade that made its company was causing the lives of dozens of Imperial Guardsmen with their tardiness, and their commander was not happy. "Get them on the radio and tell them the Kasrkins are pinned down and dying because of them!" Xavier Janus looked over his shoulder and shot his gun, piercing a bullet through the eye of an advancing Flayed demon. "Damn! Retreat back to the square!" their choices, and chances of survival, were running dangerously thin.

The battle had quickly switched into hand-to-hand combat, a place where the Chaos forces easily overpowered the human Guardsman. Janus scanned the battlefield as he provided cover for the retreating medics, he eyed over at the stretchers that hurried by him with dozens of his dying men, he knew it would take a miracle for them to survive this battle. A miracle or those tanks; he grit his teeth sharply every time he saw a demonic bolter bullet rip open one of his soldiers or every time a sawblade cut them in two in a frenzied shower of blood and gore. The agonizing screams of his men would've made a normal man drop to his knees and weep like a child, the madness of war destroying his mind, but not to the Governor Militant, the madness only served to enhance his purpose, to focus on his objective and to pull the trigger.

"Psyker!" he yelled out instinctively, doubting his command the second after he yelled it out.

The psyker seemed to appear out of nothingness and slowly limped his way towards the General Militant's side, taking his time even in the midst of the battle. The tight harness around his forehead made the impression that his head could explode at any second, yet the elegant robes and staff he held gave him the appearance of any aristocrat. He looked at Xavier Janus with white eyes, his pupils having left in horror when they looked upon the Warp for the first time, yet the mad psyker could still see clearly.

"Your orders, sir?" he said in a cringe inducing voice befit for a dying old hermit.

"Burn the demons back to their hell" Janus commanded without question.

"Sire—" the psyker tried to answer back, but Janus raised his arm up to quiet him before he could even finish saying one word. Both of them knew that this would dangerously weaken the psyker, and his abilities would be gone until he recovered. But, that did not matter to Xavier Janus at this exact moment, what mattered to him were the lives of his men, nothing more and nothing less.

"Burn them, Burion and you shall have your rest" Janus spoke softly before aiming his gun to fire at the incoming Chaos Marines. "Burn them now!" he shouted out as their advanced came unhindered.

Burion the Pysker held his staff with both hands tightly, until his knuckles became an inhuman shade of pale white. The crackling of thunder seemed to resonate from within his very being until small lightning bolts slowly began to emanate from his body.

"Psyker's doing his work! Take cover!" the surviving Guardsmen that were still covering the retreat of the rest hurried for cover from Burion's attack, knowing the full capabilities of their resident psyker.

The sparks of lighting that were miniscule had grown to massive proportions as they crackled and danced around his body. Janus took the chance to take cover behind the town square's statue when the Chaos forces realized that psyker had activated a force field around his body and bullets would not stop their incoming pain. It first began with a deafening scream from Burion's mouth; then it escalated into a massive flash of light that blinded everyone near him and everyone in the streets that connected with the town square. The booming explosion that sent thunderous lighting into the bodies of the hundreds of Chaos Marines and Flayed Ones that were advancing on them ended just how it happened, quickly and loudly. Where was once a stampeding army of Chaos hurrying down the streets; there were only mutilated body parts and pools of blood. Burion collapsed on the ground as soon as his massive strike ended, his effort was valiant, but the battle was not over.

"This has only worked to stem the tide, more will come" Janus spoke as he holstered his hellpistol and looked over at the bloodied streets. "Take Burion to the medical barracks and care for him" he spoke to a nearby Guardsman who followed his order quickly and without saying a single word. "Yervan! Taken two squads and try to aid the Kasrkin soldiers" Janus put his hands to his waist after a sergeant pointed at two squads of Guardsmen and went running with them out of the city and towards the Kasrkins' position. "Radioman, call the tanks again, tell them we've bought them time, and tell them that if they don't get to their assigned position in ten minutes, I shall have them publicly executed for insubordination" Janus scowled as he mentioned the tank brigade and remembering their lateness. "The rest of you, whoever isn't wounded or dying will remain in defensive position! We've merely held them back, but fight on!! We live still! And we live to spill their blood!"

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"We are too late" Shas'O Kanis looked at the massacred bodies of his three stranded Fire Warriors, the Kroot Shaper beside him showing a small amount of sadness in his eyes, but none that would insinuate weakness.

"Those Chaos Marines we intercepted marching towards the Headquarters must have killed them" one of the Pathfinders Shas' O had brought along for the rescue party spoke, his words being obvious to everyone's ears, yet they still needed to be said.

"How long until the reinforcements arrive?" Shas'O spoke into the radio inside his battlesuit. "Tell them they must hurry, we begin the attack on the Chaos forces as soon as they arrive" Shas' O walked over inside his bulky XV22 battlesuit towards the few Chaos Marines his soldiers took out and thought again of the evil general that was leading these men.

"Commander, Necron forces are coming out of the capital in large numbers" the message seeped into Shas' O's ears through the radio, he looked at the far off capital, trying to get a distant sight of the beings as he heard the transmission. "Half are slowly marching towards our position and the other half seem to be heading towards a nearby town that is correctly under siege by the Chaos forces" the Tau at the other end spoke quickly, the beeping of the computers in the Cadre Headquarters working as background sounds.

"Under siege? Who is defending it?" Shas' O asked quickly, having forgotten that they were still in an Imperial planet, yet he believed the entire Imperial army to have been decimated by now.

"The few surviving Imperial Guardsmen" Shas' O Kanis quickly pondered, planning ideas and wondering what opportunities may come of this sudden turn of events. But, before he even began to think about rescuing the Imperials and trying to join forces to survive this situation, he had other problems: the Necrons.

Even if the Imperial commander would accept his deal, he knew it was a longshot. The Imperial generals aren't exactly Space Marine commanders, but their will could be just as solid and their trust just as shallow. Yet, it was worth a try, Shas'O knew they would never agree to fight for the Greater Good, but maybe they would fight for their survival. It was a plan worth trying.

"Deploy three squads of Fire Warriors and a Skyray Gunship with them; tell them to take a flanking position to the left of the Necron forces. I shall take the troops I have and take a position to their right flank; we will destroy them before even they realize they were heading in our direction"

"What of the Chaos forces, commander?" the Tau at the other end asked with a hint of both curiosity and nervousness, fearing his commander had forgotten about their original adversaries, but he had not, he was too smart for that.

"The Broadsides are to stay in a defensive position in case the Chaos attack" Shas' O replied quickly and calmly. "Send the troops, now, we do not have much time" Shas' O almost turned off his radio before an idea appeared in his head, an idea that could maybe help in swaying the Imperials. "Inform the Ethereal of the Imperial situation" Shas'O pondered whether he should relay this next order or tell it to Anu'Arn himself. "Inform him I mean to strike a deal with them and I need his guidance. Contact me again after we have destroyed the Necron force. Shas' O, out" after this, the Tau commander lifted the arm of his walking weapons platform and ordered his few troops to follow him; a battle is neigh. And the Tau had been in this planet too long without having spread the word of good, the power of the Greater Good.

To Be Continued…


	4. Handshakes and Meltdowns

It was almost nightfall, the skies of the planet Gurman V were a calm orange hue, yet the ground below was caked in the blood of heroes and villains. The Imperial forces in the large city of Kiern fought with the bravery of gods against the near invinsible Chaos legion and the sneaky Tau army was about to let their presence be known to all. Shas' O Kanis kneeled alongside his squad, the Kroot carnivores growling softly as they watched their prey patiently march below.

"We are in position, commander. The Necrons are dead in our sights" the transmission came like the sound of angels to Shas' O's ears; he was awaiting only their reinforcements to begin the destruction of the horrid machines.

He watched the squad of thirty odd Necron soldiers march with their usual steady pace, their black metallic exteriors barely catching the dying light of the sun. Shas' O looked for a moment at their eyes: dead, focused and unyielding. He thought about the worlds they had decimated heartlessly and the millions of people that have died by their merciless hands, he held that hatred inside and breathed it away, he felt the feeling slide down his arms until reaching his trigger fingers, then he gave the order.

"Fire" the pulse rifles of the warriors with him were only outmatched by the two twin laser cannons he hand in each hand, and the innumerable amount of missiles that flew from the pods on his battlesuit's shoulders.

The Necrons below didn't feel the metal chunks flying off their exoskeletons, neither did they express any sign of pain or weakness. They only fired blindly around them, trying to defend themselves from the onslaught; they Necron mind would never accept the idea of futility and less that of defeat. It was when six Necrons had fallen to the ground, the glow in their demonic eyes shutting off forever that Shas' O spoke again.

"Give them a volley" the missiles came quickly, flying up in the sky from an unknown location behind the Fire Warriors' position. They danced and twirled in the air until crashing down on the Necrons, the flaming explosion forcing the troops to stop firing; overkill was not the Tau way. But, Shas' O would not wait until the smoke cleared to have an answer to the Necron's demise. He nodded at the Kroot Shaper, the leader of the pack howled in fury as he ran with them down into the thick smoke.

The rest of the Tau warriors aimed again, hearing the growls and shrieks of their Kroot allies, listening to their sharp claws tearing metal, their long muskets firing at point blank range. Nobody heard the Necrons fire their massive gauss rifles, nobody heard a Kroot carnivore yelp out in pain as it died; they only heard the glorious shouts of their brutal victory. When the smoke finally cleared, Shas' O looked down at the Kroot Shaper and his pack, hustling around the Necron corpses, tearing anything that didn't look completely dead open and pulling out whatever laid inside. He thought about how the scene would look like if the corpses were not the robotic Necrons, but Space Marines or the ghostly Eldar. His train of thought led him to the Imperial soldiers that were fighting in Kiern, about to be surrounded by both the Necrons and the Chaos, their hopes hanging on by a thread. He thought about how one slip up would make his sept end up in the same position, he thought about this and breathed in deeply, promising to himself that that would never occur.

"Shas'O Kanis" the voice of Arn'Anu danced into Shas' O's ears as the Ethereal spoke to him through the transmitter. "The Imperial defense is faltering on all sides; it will not be able to hold out much longer" Shas'O Kanis heard his voice clearly, yet he couldn't decipher what exactly the Ethereal meant for him to do. "They need help, Shas' O" the answer came as clear as day light.

"Will they accept it?" Shas'O asked, wisely, the only worry in his mind coming from the death of his men if the Imperials don't accept his treaty.

"Time will tell, commander" Arn'Anu's answer did nothing to put Shas'O at ease, but his order was clear. For good or bad, Shas' O would follow the Ethereal's order, even if a lingering amount of doubt resided in him, the Ethereal's presence was everywhere and it carried an aura of safety and trust that could not be denied by any Tau.

"Understood" Shas'O answered obediently, just like any other Tau commander would've if he had just received an order from an Ethereal. "Shaper!" he called out to the Kroot below. "We march out to Kiern, bring your pack" the Shaper below nodded and pulled out his blade from the metal chest of a downed Necron. "Shas'Ui Farinek, your squad is to come with me. We shall take the Skyray to the city; the rest of you, head back to base" the Pathfinders beside Shas'O saluted him honorable once before marching back to the city, their commander wondered if that would be the last time he saw them. He waited with the remaining men until the steady hum of the Skyray grew near, until it was upon them; for a second, his mind doubted the plan he had thought up himself, but Arn'Anu had approved it and ordered him to follow it, doubting it would do him and his men no good. Doubting an Ethereal's word would never bring anybody any good. Shas' O walked inside the Skyray after his men and prepared for the fateful encounter ahead.

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"Sir! Sir, the Necron forces have advanced to the square! Our men have engaged them!" one of the few surviving radio men yelled out as the Necron's gauss rifles shot out around them. The lasgun fire came short afterwards, but Xavier Janus knew their time has come, if the tanks didn't arrive soon, it would be the end of them.

"Where are the damned tanks?!" he asked again, exercising futility. The anger in his voice reaching its limits, anger from the deaths of his men all caused because of three tank crews whose deaths he had already planned out.

"Sir, the entire 5th Vehicular Brigade was destroyed while defending the Kasrkins' retreat!" they were doomed.

The Necron forces were marching patiently up the main street, barely taking any losses as most of the lasgun fire bounced off their metal exteriors. Their skeletal faces unemotional as they slaughtered more and more of the already dwindling Imperial Guardsmen, Xavier Janus held his ground, standing tall and proud. Ready to pull his final shot, ready to breathe his last breath, ready to die for the Emperor. He heard the maniac laughter of the Chaos forces behind him, they had returned and we already almost on top of them, their bolters loaded and their sawblades whirring.

"To the last man!" one Guardsman cried out from the town square barricade, feeling the coming oblivion around him, he shouted out a cry of pride and courage for all to hear. Sergeant Hilder Trye yelled out furiously after his words, the lasgun in his hands rapidly running out of ammunition as it shot into the Necron forces with little effect. For an instant his mind wondered how his end would, but it would not be now, not this moment, not in this battle.

Nobody expected it; the missiles came from out of nowhere and fell dead in the middle of the Chaos forces. Their insane laughter having switched drastically to yells of pain and torment, that didn't end with the missiles, they only increased after they had fallen. The pain of surviving a missile barrage far greater than dying quickly during it; a fact many veteran Guardsmen knew too well.

"Sir! The Chaos forces have been decimated!" Xavier Janus turned his head to see a thick cloud of black smoke where the advancing Chaos army had been, he blinked twice, trying to find an answer in his already crowded mind. His answer came quickly.

The blue plasma fire came out in rapid succession, coming from an unknown location behind the Necron forces; Shas' O Kanis had again taken the evil Necrons by surprise. Slowly but surely, as the number of Necron warriors dwindled, they came out from their firing positions. Their peculiar dark grey and dark orange battlesuits seemed strange to Janus' eyes, but he had only ever seen one other Tau sept. The World around him, and his men seemed to grind to a sudden halt, the gun fire had gone away and for the first time in days, silence dominated their ears. Xavier took steps towards them as the Tau cautiously walked towards the town square, the Kroot around them staring carefully at the lasguns that were pointed at them, all of the bestial mercenaries seriously doubting Shas'O Kanis' plan. The Tau Commander was the first to stop before Xavier Janus and stand at attention for a moment before easing out, he looked back and nodded at his men, who graciously did the same; all except the Kroot, of course.

"I am Shas' O Kanis" a robotic, yet vaguely fluid voice suddenly blurted out from Shas' O Kanis' battlesuit; inside it, he wondered if the translator relayed the message correctly. "I am the Commander of the Tau sept on this planet: the Tau'Un O'Urem"

"They're here to order us outta the planet or kill us! It's us or them!" one Guardsmen yelled out from the distance, Xavier Janus stared death in the eyes as all the Fire Warriors aimed their plasma rifles at him, when every Guardsmen in sight cocked their guns and aimed at the honorable Tau.

"Lower your weapons! Anybody that fires a shot will answer to ME!" Janus yelled out in a fit of rage, angered by his men's impatience. After taking a quick look, and making sure every Guardsman had his weapon lowered, he directed himself to the Tau Commader. Extending the same courtesy he had shown him, Janus saluted the commander and stood at ease afterwards. "What is it you need of us?" Janus asked him courteously, which is exceedingly more than any other Imperial commander would show.

"It could be what we need from each other, commander" Shas' O's own voice was barely recognizable in the robotic translation. "We are two armies surrounded by enemies; we could either add another enemy, in each other. Or we could work to surround THEM"

"It's Tau mischief, Governor Militant! They will stab us in the back the first chance they get!" a plump man in a red unifrom, laden with medals and commissions furiously yelled out into Janus' ear. The Governor Militant merely turned his head, his seething face being all the answer the commissar needed.

"When I need your aid for anything else than leading my men, commissar Welrn, I shall ask for it. Until then, you shall keep your bloody lips closed" the plump red man slowly walked away from Janus, taking enough steps until he was far behind the Governor Militant's back, his embarrassed face showing a sign of burning hatred cringing within. "You speak of an alliance, then? The Imperium has no such thing with the Tau Empire" with these words, Shas' O Kanis began to see the fruit of his plan begin to rot from the inside out. He prepared himself to fight off the Imperial Guardsmen that had him and his men hopelessly surrounded, yet he would not accept that Arn'Anu could be wrong. "But, the entire Imperium is not in Gurman V" a small smirk escaped Xavier Janus' lips. "Terms of this treaty will be discussed later, first, I expect you to lead me and my men to a more hospitable setting and ample aid" the greedy demand was to be expected from a man in Janus' position and Shas' O Kanis was completely willing to accept.

"We will give you an hour to gather your wounded. There is a ship awaiting them" Shas' O answered honorable, his words garnering a thankful bow from Xavier Janus.

Although the plan had worked out for Shas'O, and the treaty was the help that Janus needed, yet never expected. All did not sit well, because the gunfire did not only come from bolters and lasguns, but from tongues and untrusting whispers.

"Can you believe this?"

"Allying with the damn Tau? I'd rather jump into the hands of a bloodthirsty Ork than shake hands with those self righteous bastards!"

"Think about it, if they didn't come when they did, where would we be now? In body bags, that's where!"

"Rather be dead than fight alongside them!"

To Be Continued……


End file.
